Size: A (B) C (D) E (F) G (H)
Finished garment circumference (measured under the armhole): 80 (91) 103 (114) 126 (137) 148 (160) cm
Armhole depth: 22 (23) 25 (26) 29 (31) 33 (34) cm
Length (mid back incl. folded neckband): 42 (44) 45 (49) 50 (51) 52 (53)
Gauge (colorwork in the round and stockinette stitch knit flat, after wash/blocking):
21 sts x 24 rows of stranded colorwork on 6 mm needles = 10 x 10 cm
21 sts x 28 rows of stockinette stitch on 5 mm needles = 10 x 10 cm
Suggested needles:
6 mm (US10; 80/100 cm) circular needles,
5 mm (US8; 80/100 cm) circular needles,
4 mm (US6; 40 and 60 cm) circular needles,
5 mm auxiliary needle for three-needle bind-off

Note. I knit very tightly (poor hands), so if you’re more of a “loose” knitter, you’ll most likely have to adjust needle sizes quite a bit, e.g. using 5, 4 and 3 mm needles or the like, to meet the gauges.

You’ll also need:
1 stitch marker
2 stitch holders (or some scrap yarn to hold the resting sts)

Suggested materials:
Peruvian Highland Wool from Filcolana (50 g = 100 m):
Size A-B (6 skeins): 100 g (color A), 150 g (color B) and 50 g (neckband/armhole ribbing)
Size C (7 skeins): 100 g (color A), 200 g (color B) and 50 g (neckband/armhole ribbing)
Size D (8 skeins): 150 g (color A), 200 g (color B) and 50 g (neckband/armhole ribbing)
Size E-G (9 skeins): 150 g (color A), 250 g (color B) and 50 g (neckband/armhole ribbing)
Size H (10 skeins): 150 g (color A), 300 g (color B) and 50 g (neckband/armhole ribbing)

About the design
The Lighthearted Slipover is a cropped slipover worked from the bottom up with a section of stranded colorwork knitting. The slipover is designed to be a fun and approachable project for colorwork beginners, for which reason the colorwork itself is worked in the round only. To begin with, the ribbed edges of the front and back pieces are worked flat (color A), one by one, after which the work is joined in the round and the colorwork charts worked using both colors. Once both charts are finished, stitches are bound off under each arm in order for the front and back pieces to be worked separately in a single color (color B). The shoulders are joined using the three-needle bind-off technique. Stitches are then picked up along the neckline, and the folded neckband is worked in 3 x 3 rib stitch. Lastly, stitches are picked up in each armhole and matching 3 x 3 ribbed edges worked.

“Trick or treat” bonus charts
In a separate PDF file, I’ve added some ༼ つ╹╹ ༽つ spoopy ༼ つ╹╹ ༽つ bonus charts.

A note about sizes
The slipover is designed to have a positive ease of approx. 0-15 cm, meaning that the circumference of the finished garment (after wash and blocking) should be 0-15 cm wider than your widest upper body measurement. This might seem like a bit of a silly specification, but my experience is that the slipover is a somewhat special garment, and people have very different preferences depending on body type and personal style. So, for example, if you measure 90 cm, I would recommend that you knit either a size B or a size C, depending on your personal preference. The circumference of a size B slipover is 91 cm, which would then give you 1 cm of positive ease, while a size C is 103 cm, giving you 13 cm of positive ease. Note that the measurements specified above are only achieved if the correct gauge is kept.

Level and techniques
The level of the Lighthearted Slipover is beginner/intermediate, and the pattern contains colorwork charts as well as written instructions.

The pattern includes the following techniques:

• Long tail cast-on (slingshot method)
• 3 x 3 rib stitch
• Stranded colorwork (2 colors) in the round
• Stockinette stitch knit flat (and a little bit in the round)
• Right- and left-leaning increases (m1R / m1L)
• Right-leaning increase purlwise (m1Rp)
• Right- and left-leaning decreases (k2tog / ssk)
• Right- and left-leaning decreases worked on the wrong side (p2tog / ssp)
• Short rows of your choice (I used Japanese short rows for this project)
• Basic bind-off
• Three-needle bind-off
• Picking up stitches

About the depicted versions:

• My first version (the Barbie-themed prototype) is a size B, and it’s knitted in Peruvian Highland Wool from Filcolana in the colors Bubblegum (color A) and Ballerina (color B + neckband/armhole ribbing).
• My second version is also a size B, and it’s knitted in baby merino (50% baby alpaca, 50% non-superwash merino) from Rheia Yarns in the Mermaid colorway (color A) and undyed (color B + neckband/armhole ribbing).